Variable atomizer



Jan. 18, 1955 w. c. TER sTEGE ET AL. 2,699,969

VARIABLE ATOMIZER Filed March i8,\1952 INVENTORV- AGE T the liquid isalso comparatively small.

United States Patent Ofi ce VARIABLE AToMIzER Willem Comels Ter Stegeand Elize Meindersma, Dordrecht, Netherlands, assignors to HartfordNational Bank and Trust Company, Hartford, Conn., as trustee ApplicationMarch 8, 1952, Serial No. 275,584` Claims priority, applicationNetherlands March 22, 1951 3 Claims. (Cl. 299-86) This invention relatesto improvements in or relating to variable atomizers for liquids. Moreparticularly, it relates to an atomizer for liquid hydrocarbons which iseasily adjusted for varying the atomization.

Liquid atomizers, in which the liquid is atomized with the use ofcompressed gas, are known. Such atomizers may be constructed to be suchthat the gas and the'liquid are supplied through separate tubes, bothtubes being at an angle with one another., As a rule, the gas supplytube terminates in a tine aperture and the outlet port of The'output maybe controlled by means of a needle, which is provided in the liquid portand which permits of wideninglor narrowing this port.` It has been foundin practice that such an atomizer has various disadvantages. In theiirst place the liquid port frequently becomes obstructed by soil whichis carried by the liquids or air. If the liquid is caused to pass firstthrough a sieve, the meshes of this sieve cannot be chosen to be assmall as the smallest liquid port, since then the liquid can no longerbe sucked on owing to the excessive resistance to be overcome. In apractical form of the atomizer the diameter of the narrowest passage inthe liquid supply pipe was 8 it; the minimum space of the meshes had tobe 40 u. Consequently, impurities of less than 40 y. passed through thegauze, but were liable to stop up the passage. It is furthermoredifficult to construct such an atomizer to be such that it may be usedfor various kinds of liquids and for different quantities of liquid. Theneedle described above permits, as has been stated, controlling theliquid output to a greater or smaller extent, but it does not readilypermit the adaptation of the atomizer to different liquids and tomaintain the controllability at the same time. Such a needle furthermoreincreases the risk of obstruction.

The atomizer according to the invention does not exhibit thesedisadvantages and is characterized in that the liquid supply pipe isclosed at the end and is provided at a certain distance from this endwith two apertures, one on each side of the pipe, the center of theseapertures and the center of the aperture in the gas supply pipe being inline with one another, the aperture nearest to the gas supply pipepreferably being smaller than the opposite aperture and the spacingbetween the smallest aperture in the liquid supply pipe and the gasoutlet port being adjustable. It has been found that with such anatomizer there is no risk of obstruction, since all the apertures may beprovided for the greatest quantity of liquid to be atomized. Thevariation both with the quantity and with the nature of the liquid to beatomized is in the first place effected by the said control of thespacing, so that needles and similar control-members, which permitnarrowing the port, are not provided. It has furthermore been found thatan atomizer according to the invention can be manufactured in a simplemanner.

In one embodiment of the invention the liquid supply tube is preferablyrigidly secured at one end to the body of the atomizer, the tube havingsuch a length and being made of such a material that the distancebetween the tube and the gas outlet port can be varied by elasticbending of the tube, provision being made of means to fix the saidspacing each time at a particular measure. The material of the tube may,for example, be nickel or copper. The said embodiment has the advantagethat a liquid-tight, rotatable coupling is dispensed with. Particularlyin the case of petrol or paraffin oil, such a 2,699,969 Patented Jari.18., 1955 coupling is difficult to be kept liquid-tight duringoperation.

' In a furtherlembodiment of the invention the free end of the tube isadapted to be displaced with respect to the body of the atomizer in adirection approximately at right angles to the center line of the tubeand parallel to the direction of the gas supply. It is thus ensured thattheatomized liquid enters the'burner proper invariably in the center. f

In a further embodiment of the invention the tube is displaced by meansof a screw device.

In a further embodiment of the invention it is advantageous that thedisplaceability of the tube isy limited in an adjustable manner. It isthus possible to adjust the maximum and the minimum quantity of liquidto be supplied bythe atomizer within particular limits. As analternative, the atomizer may be adjusted to a particular quantity ofdiiferent liquids.

' lIn a preferred embodiment of the invention, a simple construction isobtained, if provision ismade of an atomizer housing, which is providedwith a connecting stub for the liquid supply pipe, oneend of the liquidsupply pipe being secured in this stub, the tube being otherwise free ina groove provided in the housing, the other end being supported by afork', which yforms part of an adjustable screw-provided in the atomizerhousing.r Again in a further embodiment of the invention the screw canybe displaced by means of an arrestable nut, which is located in part inthe atomizer housing.

In order that the invention may be more clearly underst ood and readilycarried into effect, it will now be described more fully with referenceto the accompanying drawing, in which one embodiment of the invention isshown and in which: Y

Fig. l is a view of a variable atomizer in the direction of the arrowand Fig. 2 is a sectional View of this variable atomizer taken on theline II--IL Reference numeral 1 designates an atomizer housing providedwith two connecting stubs 2 and 3. To the connecting stud 2 is secured apipe which leads to a liquid container; at the stub 3 a compressed gasis supplied. The liquid may, for example, be gasoline or paraflin oil,while the gas may be air. In the connecting stub 2 is secured a tube 4,for example by soldering. The other end of the tube 4 supports a rubbercap 5, which intimately fits about the tube. The tube itself is locatedin a groove 6, which is, for example, milled out of the atomizerhousing 1. Consequently, with the exception of the fastening to the stub2, the tube is quite free in the atomizer housing.- The tube has anoutlet port 7 for the atomized liquid and, opposite this outlet port 7,is a second port 8, which is smaller than the port 7. The atomizerhousing has a port 9, corresponding with the ports 7 and 8, forming theend of a duct 10, which is bored in the atomizer housing and which isclosed by a screw 11. This duct 1t) communicates through a duct 12,which is also bored in the atomizer housing, with the connecting stub 3.The duct 12 is bored through and is closed by a screw 13. The ducts ltland 12 may be cleaned by removing the s crews 11 and 13; the tube 4 maybe cleaned by removing the rubber cap 5. The top end of the tube 4 issupported by a fork 14, which is secured to a screw 15. A milled nut 16is provided around this screw and is located in part in the atomizerhousing. The milled nut 16 is engaged by a spring 17, which is held atthe other end by the screw 13. The screw 15 is furthermore provided witha nut 18. It is obvious that by turning the adjusting nut 16, the topend of the tube 4 is moved tohthe left, so that the spacing between theports 8 and 9 is varied. Owing to this variation in spacing the quantitysupplied by the atomizer is varied. Thus the atomizer may furthermore berendered suitable for ilse with different liquids. The adjustable nut 18limits the spacing between the ports 8 and 9. The tube 4, which is bentwhen adjusting the atomizer, is made of an elastic or resilientmaterial, such as nickel or copper. The atomizer housing 1 is providedwith two holes 19, in which taps can be screwed and with the use ofwhich the complete atomizer may be secured, for example, to a burner.

to soil carried along. It is furthermore found that any air bubblescarried along can readily escape.

What we claim is:

1. A variable atomizer for liquids comprising a housing, a gas supplytube, a llexible liquid supply tube at an angle thereto, said liquidsupply tube being rigidly secured at one endV to said housing andloosely supported at its other end, said gas supply tube having anaperture therein smaller than its internal diameter, said liquid supplytube being closed at one end and having two apertures therein, eachdiametrically opposed to the other in a side of the tube, the centers ofeach of said apertures in said liquid supply tube and the aperture insaid gas supply tube being aligned, the aperture of the liquid supplytube nearest to the gas supply tube being smaller' than the otheraperture in the liquid supply tube, and means to displace said liquidsupply tube relative to the gas supply tube in a direction approximatelyat right angles to the center line of the liquid supply tube andparallel to the direction of said gas supply tube.

2. A variable atomizer for liquids comprising a housing, a gas supplytube, a lexible liquid supply tube at an angle thereto, said liquidsupply tube being rigidly secured at one end to said housing and looselysupported at its other end, said gas supply tube having an aperturetherein smaller than its internal diameter, said liquid supply tubebeing closed at one end and having two apertures therein, eachdiametrically opposed to the other in a side of the tube, the centers ofeach of said apertures in said liquid supply tube and the aperture insaid gas supply tube being aligned, the aperture of the liquid supplytube nearest to the gas supply tube being smaller than the otheraperture in ther-liquid supply tube,conduit `means between said apertureof the gas supply tube and the smaller aperture of said liquid supplytube, screw means to displace said liquid supply tube relative to thegas sulpply tube and means to limit the spacing between said tu es.

3. A variable atomizer for liquids comprising a housing, a connectingstub secured to one end of said housing, a fork member, a gas supplytube, a flexible liquid supply tube at an angle thereto, said liquidsupply tube being rigidly secured at one end in said connecting stub andloosely Vsupported by a fork member at its other end,

' said housing also having a groove therein in which the free part ofsaid liquid supply tube is located, screw means connected to said forkmember, and an arrestable nut on said screw means, said gas supply tubehaving an aperture therein smaller than its internal diameter, saidliquid supply tube being closed at one end and having two aperturestherein, each diametrically opposed to the other in a side of the tube,the centers of each of said apertures in said liquid supply tube and theaperture in said gas supply tube being aligned, the aperture of theliquid supply tube nearest to the gas supply tube being smaller than theother aperture in the liquid supply tube, and an adjustable nut on saidscrew means to displace said liquid supply tube relative to the gassupply tube in a direction approximately at right angles to the centerline of the liquid supply tube and parallel to the direction of said gassupply tube.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,891,067 Spira Dec. 13, 1932 2,123,029 Vogel July 5, 1938 2,264,312Mothersall Dec. 2, 1941

